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Holistic Accompaniment

January to March 2024 - no 22 2024/1

Issue 22 top

It has become all the more apparent in our times that there is a great need for good accompaniment. In the past, this was almost a given. In the village or small town, there would be the parish priest, the teacher and the doctor and it is also true to say that life was lived within the context of large families spanning multiple generations, where there was ample opportunity for listening, advice, correction, support and help.

The truth is that every person needs to "have a home," and today, unfortunately, many do not.

Hubertus Blaumeiser

Both alone and united

Fruitful forms of accompaniment need the broader contextual support of the life of a community. A community rich in human values and rooted in a radical, authentic life of the Gospel can bring about a true experience of the presence of Christ.

The Gospel Incarnated

On 24 November 2023, Pope Francis addressed the participants of the meeting of chaplains and those responsible for university pastoral care which was promoted by the Dicastery for Culture and Education. He developed three key words to keep in mind in any accompaniment that seeks to enhance the uniqueness and particular potential of each person: appreciating differences, accompanying with care and acting with courage.

CINTIA MIRANDA VIEIRA

A fascinating challenge

There is a growing awareness that formation and accompaniment cannot be limited to any single human dimension, but instead requires a global perspective. The author is a psychologist and psychotherapist specialized in family and relational integrative approaches, EMDR, and Brainspotting.

MICHELE LAURIOLA

Spiritual Accompaniment

Today there is a rediscovery of the importance of spiritual accompaniment. Accompaniment has specific connotations in biblical tradition where it has been further delineated over the centuries. The author is a focolarino and priest, with academic training in this area and extensive experience in the field.

ANGELA ALBUQUERQUE

Liberating and transforming bonds

We carry in our unconscious those experiences we have had since our birth. Psychologist and psychotherapist Angela Albuquerque explores the connection between Attachment Theory and attachment to God.

CARLOS GOMES ESTEVES

Abuse: Causes and Consequences

On the occasion of an international meeting of priests and deacons, Carlos Gomes Esteves – an Argentine psychologist, psychotherapist and lecturer, as well as a married permanent deacon – shared some input to better understand the problem of abuse and its consequences. The starting point is the conviction that this is a problem, as Pope Francis has often said, that concerns the whole people of God.

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RITA & RINO VENTRIGLIA

Paths of Light is an accompaniment initiative for couples, born from reflections on the experience of crisis. It is opening a path of hope for couples in difficulty and has evolved into a promising methodology in caring for seriously wounded families. Two of its co-founders – one a psychotherapist and the other a gynecologist and sex therapist – write about this initiative.

Making reciprocity happen

This article focuses on the principle of reciprocity permeating the Paths of Light project. The author, who is also a priest, is originally from Argentina and has extensive international experience working as a psychiatrist and psychologist.

CLAUDIO MALFATI

How beautiful it is

Maria Orsola Bussone grew and flourished in a parish community. A girl like so many others, she encountered God and threw herself into witnessing to the beauty of loving Him. Maria Orsola was called suddenly by God to the next life. Her process of beatification began in 1996, and Maria Orsola was declared venerable by the Church in 2015.

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